


First Season

by IvoryLotus



Series: Growing Together [1]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: First Time, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Original Character(s), Pre-Relationship, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:28:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24513862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IvoryLotus/pseuds/IvoryLotus
Summary: Natsu has known Gray was his mate from the moment they met, but just because he knows doesn’t mean Gray is ready for all that entails. Unfortunately, Natsu has to participate in mating season, even if it’s not with who he wants to spend it with.
Relationships: Natsu Dragneel/Gray Fullbuster, Natsu Dragneel/Original Male Character(s)
Series: Growing Together [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1778548
Comments: 2
Kudos: 79





	First Season

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not even a remotely decent writer, so be warned. I'm just trying to get this story out of my head.

Natsu knew Gray was his mate from the moment they met as children and wasted no time marking him as such. This, of course, led to a fight because apparently biting people when you first meet is considered inappropriate to basically everyone who isn’t a dragon or dragon slayer. Who knew?

Their first meeting set the stage for every interaction following, and honestly, Natsu didn’t mind much. 

Dragons are a passionate species, and fighting is a way to show affection and respect to their mate. The fact that Gray is his perfect rival, always challenging him and pushing him to be better, has always been one of the things he loved most about his mate. 

That said, he wished that wasn’t all their relationship was. 

He wanted the softer moments, and the calm and quiet moments. He wanted to share every part of their lives with each other, but every effort he makes to slowly change their relationship to anything other than pure rivalry has been met with resistance. 

The harder Natsu pushes, the harder Gray pushes back, and now he is going to be forced to spend his first mating season without his mate. 

After his fifteenth birthday it was only a matter of time before he felt the effects of mating season, and while he had always hoped to spend his first season with his mate, he has accepted that it wasn’t going to happen. 

Natsu stares down into his glass of water, the ice having long since melted while he had been lost in thought, before sighing deeply and standing up from the bar. He can see a few worried glances thrown his way, but doesn’t pay them any mind as he makes his way to the door. 

Just as he is about to reach the door, the very object of his thoughts walks into the guild hall, somehow managing to make it to the guild still fully clothed. Gray clearly sees him as soon as he clears the door and looks ready to start a fight, but seeing Gray nearly made him double over as the heat he had been feeling since he woke up this morning goes from a dull burn to a raging inferno. 

Gray must have seen the flash of pain in his eyes for that brief moment before he regained control of himself, because instead of launching an attack he simply stayed frozen in place as he slipped around Gray like fire over dry tinder. Slipping out of the guild hall and away from the one thing that could make all the pain go away. 

As tempting as it was to run back to Gray and try explaining that they were mates, he knew it wouldn’t end well for either of them. Gray simply wasn’t ready, and Natsu would never force himself on his mate. 

So instead of turning around and running into the arms of the ice mage that held his heart, his very existence, in his hands; he set a course for a road leading out of Magnolia. There was only one way to completely get rid of the pain brought about by mating season and that was to claim your mate, which was clearly not an option. 

However, there was a way to ease the pain, it wouldn’t get rid of it completely but it would make it bearable. Igneel had taught him so much in their time together, and Natsu had loved hearing about mates, but the sex education that came with it used to leave Natsu gagging. Now he was grateful Igneel had insisted on teaching Natsu how to handle mating season without a mate, despite Natsu’s insistence that he would only ever be with his mate. 

A sad smile touched his lips as he recalled Igneel trying to sit Natsu down to explain the mechanics of sex to a thoroughly grossed out younger version of himself. Natsu shook himself from the memory, as he continued on his journey. It was still early in the day, but he wouldn’t reach his destination two towns over until nightfall. 

Natsu had grown up, filled out, and become fairly good looking. Girls and guys alike have started hitting on him, and while he generally pretends that their advances go completely over his head, he is acutely aware of their interest. It’s just easier if he just pretends to be oblivious. 

However, with mating season beginning and being unable to claim his mate, there was only one option left to him. He had to find a willing partner to get him through the week and he had just the person in mind. While he knew his guild mates would want to help, he couldn’t use his family like that, and he had met an admittedly good looking water and ice mage who also happened to be a healer in the town of Willow.

They met on one of his jobs recently, and the mage had no problem letting him know he was interested. Natsu had played dumb as usual but that didn’t stop the other mage from giving the dragon slayer an open invitation to come over “for a check-up”. At the time, he hadn’t had any intention of taking the man up on his offer but he was the only alternative that came to mind on such short notice. 

\---

Night had just fallen nearly an hour ago when he reached his destination. The mage, like Natsu himself, preferred to live on the outskirts of town away from the rush and noise of the town. He had told Natsu that he enjoyed the quiet and liked how there was plenty of land to plant herbs for medicinal purposes. 

Natsu had to admit to himself that the smell of the herb garden was nice and calming, and he noticed it was the same scent that the other man carried with him. Clearly he spent a good amount of time tending the garden to have the scent linger. 

As he reached the door he hesitated, wondering if this was a mistake. Maybe he should just go home and try dealing with it on his own. As that thought crossed his mind the heat within his body flared again, reminding him that dealing with it on his own really wasn’t an option. Dragons, and by extension, dragon slayers will become very ill if they don’t participate in mating season, their magic reacts badly to it for some reason causing a magically induced illness that can become very serious. 

With that thought in mind, he steeled himself before knocking on the door. 

He didn’t have to wait long before a striking man opened the door. The mage in front of him had long white hair, currently pulled up in a high ponytail, that went down to his waist and spiky strands that framed his face. He was built, well defined abs clearly on display under a black shirt that was so tight it was probably painted on, and was wearing an open white lab coat over his black shirt and slacks. 

His dark red eyes widened as he realized who was standing on his doorstep before schooling his expression into calm curiosity. 

“Natsu,” he drawled casually, although you could tell there was honest pleasure with his unexpected visitor, “I wasn’t expecting you. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Kaito,” Natsu returned, equally as casual, “I came to see if the offer for a ‘check-up’ was still available.”

Kaito’s face went slack with shock. Whatever he had been expecting, a follow up on his offer, clearly wasn’t it. Natsu nearly retracted his statement before the man in front of him recovered enough to step aside, clearly an offer to come in. 

Natsu stepped inside and took a deep breath, letting himself relax as the smell of herbs was even stronger inside the home. Herbs were hanging to dry everywhere, and he could smell a freshly brewed potion from somewhere in the house. 

Kaito closed the door behind himself before turning to Natsu. “Well this is certainly a surprise,” he chuckled quietly, “When I made the offer I wasn’t sure you understood my meaning.”

The phrasing was gentle, leaving room for him not to answer, but there was an obvious question in his words. What’s changed?

Honestly, Natsu is glad he gave him the opening, since he wanted to be honest and upfront with the man. Natsu really only wanted one thing from him right now, but he was a good guy and Natsu didn’t want there to be any hurt feelings. 

“I’ve just gone into season… mating season, and I’m in heat.” 

Natsu was watching Kaito closely, waiting for signs of confusion before continuing his explanation, but they never came. Instead, understanding dawned on his features as he began to look over the dragon slayer with a critical eye, noting the dilated pupils and slight flush to his tanned skin. 

“I see. Well, why don’t we move out of the entry way, and move to somewhere more comfortable so we can discuss this further.” With that said Kaito turned on his heel and started making his way further into the home. 

Natsu stared in shock and confusion for a moment, before shaking himself and following after the man. Coming into the living room, Kaito gestured toward the couch in open invitation while he finished preparing tea, Natsu sat down in a bit of a daze. He had been expecting questions and had been prepared to give lengthy explanations, but Kaito continued to serve tea with the same serenity he seemed to do everything else. 

With tea served, Kaito took a seat on the couch next to Natsu, and took a sip of his drink before turning toward the clearly confused dragon slayer. 

“When you visited last time, I admit I didn’t know much about dragon slayers. However, after watching you work, I became intrigued by your abilities as a dragon slayer, and decided to do some research to better understand and treat any other dragon slayers I might come across in the future.” It went unsaid that he was thinking of Natsu, and ways to help him, after witnessing Natsu get injured while on the job. 

“Anyway, I found a lot of information in the town library, we actually have one of the largest libraries in Fiore, and I learned a lot there. I also have a friend who travels a lot and knows I enjoy reading so he picks up books for me all the time, and I asked him to keep an eye out for books on dragons and dragon slayers. It was in one of those books I came across a section devoted to mates and mating season.”

He must have noticed Natsu tensing next to him, because he became quiet as he studied the dragon slayer next to him, before coming to a realization, and ventured a guess as to what was bothering him. 

“Don’t worry, I know I’m not your mate.” By the way Natsu immediately relaxed, he knew he hit the head on the nail. “But,” he continued, “I’m honored you would be willing to share your mating season with me. As I understand it, it is a particularly vulnerable time for dragons and dragon slayers.”

“It can be,” Natsu agreed, “since we are distracted by the pain of our heat.”

“I see. How is your pain right now?”

“Tolerable but quickly rising.” No point in lying at this point. 

“Well then,” Kaito says standing and offering Natsu a hand, “we better move this to the bedroom then.”

Natsu takes the offered hand eagerly, relief from the pain almost within sight. 

“There is only one other thing I need to know before we continue.”

Natsu nearly whines at the delay, the heat ratcheting up, but he forces himself to nod for the other man to continue.

“Is there anything you don’t like or don’t want to happen in the bedroom?”

Gray flashes before his eyes briefly before he banishes the thought and the regret that lies within his heart. 

“I don’t want to be mounted.” He states clearly, but the confusion on Kaito’s face makes him realize he is speaking in dragon terms, and he quickly corrects himself. “I don’t want to be penetrated. I top exclusively.” Which isn’t really true. He would bottom for Gray, but no one else. “Other than that I’m not really sure what I like and dislike since it’s my first season.”

Kaito pauses briefly, and Natsu wonders if his preference will be an issue, before nodding in understanding and continuing toward what he can only assume is the bedroom. 

“That’s surprising. With how attractive you are, I assumed you had experience, but no matter, that just means we have all week to discover what you like. Your heat does last about a week, right?”

“Yeah, mating season lasts one month twice a year, but my heat will only last the first week of each season.”

“Great! Then let’s get started!”

Natsu still regrets not being able to spend his first season with Gray, his heart calling out for his mate, but he knows this was his only option. Gray doesn’t feel the same way, and that thought hurts more than anything. 

\---

Gray stood frozen in the doorway of the guild, unable to move past the strange interaction with Natsu, replaying the scene in his head over and over until it was all he could see. The pain and sadness he saw flash through Natsu’s eyes was there and gone in an instant, but Gray knows what he saw, and worry was gnawing at his insides. 

He wanted to turn around and follow Natsu, force him to tell him what was wrong and tell him how he could make it better, but pride kept him in place and he forced himself to move forward into the guild hall. He went to the bar to order a glass of ice water, only to notice that a glass of water lay abandoned on the bar. 

Honestly, it could have been anyone’s, but something in his gut told him it was Natsu’s. Before anyone could notice, he grabbed the glass, added some ice cubes and walked towards his usual table. He’s not really sure what made him take the glass but as he settled at the table and took a sip his mind returned to Natsu. 

What could have upset Natsu and why the hell was he hurting bad enough for it to show? It isn’t July seventh so I doubt it has anything to do with that, and he didn’t appear to have any injuries that I could see but he doesn’t strip down like I do so he could be hiding a lot. 

“Gray your clothes.” Mira states blandly, as she walks over with an evil glint in her eyes. Gray looks down in shock to see he lost everything but his underwear. Glancing back up he sees Lisanna following behind Mira carrying Happy.

His eyes zero in on Happy, confusion and worry mixing in his stomach and leaving him slightly nauseous. Natsu is rarely, if ever, without Happy. Ever since Happy was born, him and Natsu have been attached at the hip, with Lisanna trailing along with a smile completing their little “family.” 

Honestly, watching Lisanna fawning over Natsu leaves him feeling annoyed, but Natsu smiles a lot with her around so he doesn’t say anything even though he just wants Lisanna to disappear. As quick as the thought comes, the guilt follows just as fast. He doesn’t know why seeing Natsu and Lisanna together irritates him, but he shouldn’t take it out on her. 

Lisanna is super nice, and honestly, Mira would kill him if he ever did anything to make Lisanna cry. So he offers them a smile and hopes he will be able to find out what’s currently going on with Natsu. 

“Hey guys, what’s up?” He questions coolly. 

Mira looks at him like cats look at mice, and Gray can feel himself beginning to sweat. Thankfully Lisanna comes to the rescue before Mira can enact whatever horrible thought is going on in that demonic mind. 

“We get to watch Happy for a week!” she sings excitedly, but careful inspection makes him realize it’s a little forced compared to her usual attitude. Another look at Happy and he can see she is trying to cheer up the little blue cat who looks a little down. 

Thankfully this is the perfect opening to what he was hoping to talk about. 

“Really? What about Natsu?” At the mention of his partners’ name, Happy immediately begins to tear up, and if he hadn’t been worried already, he would be now. 

Lisanna shoots him a withering look for upsetting Happy, it honestly wasn’t his intention, before turning back to Happy. 

“Don’t worry Happy, Natsu said he would be feeling better soon and would come pick you up as soon as he was!” Lisanna is clearly trying to reassure the little blue cat, but Gray can see the worry in her eyes. He’s worried too. Natsu hasn’t been sick even one time since he’s known him. 

He overheard the adults saying Natsu runs so hot that his immune system burns through everything that could make him sick. Nearly everyone else in the guild had caught the flu that year besides Natsu. So for him to be sick now was really worrying. 

Lisanna continues to reassure Happy, but Gray says his goodbyes, finishes the glass of water in front of him, and heads towards the door. He has a dragon slayer to find. 

\---

Honestly, where the hell was that flame brain?

His house was empty, he clearly wasn’t at the guild, and no one in town seems to have seen him recently. He even checked with Porlyusica and nearly lost his head for his trouble. 

So where the hell was he? 

\---

Nearly seven days after he first woke up in heat, it was finally beginning to recede, and taking the leftover pain with it. He could head back toward the guild today. The thought of seeing Happy again made him smile. 

There was a rustling next to him under the covers, and Kaito sat up with a tired yawn, the sheet pooling in his lap the only thing covering his naked body. After a week of near constant sex, a deep dive into his sexual preferences, and a crash course on pleasuring another, he wasn’t even sure it was possible for him to blush anymore. 

Kaito leaned over and rested his head on Natsu’s shoulder, wrapping his arms around his waist with another big yawn, his eyes still closed. 

“Want me to make breakfast?” he asked, after his yawn had passed, and Natsu chuckled. 

“No, how about I make breakfast and you get a little more rest?” Over the last week Natsu had been in to much pain to do anything more than eat, sleep, and have sex. Kaito, taking care of everything from his sexual needs to making sure he had food in his stomach, had been nothing but wonderful throughout this whole thing. 

Clearly Kaito wasn’t entirely committed to consciousness quite yet because he simply laid back down and was out cold before answering Natsu. 

Natsu laughed quietly to himself, before getting out of bed to make food for them both. 

He was just placing the last egg on a plate when arms wrap around his torso once again, Kaito resting his head between Natsu’s shoulder blades. Natsu was just about to say something about the food getting cold when he spoke up. 

“You’re temperature is coming down. Guess this means your heat is coming to an end.” 

Natsu wasn’t sure if the man seemed disappointed, but just as he was about to comfort his new friend, and they were friends, how could they not be after everything this past week, when he spoke up once again. 

“How is your pain? Is it getting better?”

Natsu chuckled as his friend was clearly trying to assess him, and determine what state he was in. 

“Your healer is showing,” Natsu teased before answering the question seriously. “I’m starting to feel a lot better. The heat is receding as we speak and its taking the pain with it. I should be back to normal by the end of the day, and then I can just sleep it off.”

Kaito nods in approval before taking his plate to the table to begin eating. They eat in silence, and as soon as the dishes are cleared and cleaned, they walk to the living room to sit on the couch. 

“I guess this means you will be going home now?” Natsu watches carefully for any signs of distress at the idea, but he sees only contentment, and relaxes back into the comfortable cushions. 

“Yeah. Happy will be waiting for me, and people in the guild have probably started to wonder where I’ve been.” 

“Would you like me to pack you some food for the road?”

“Do you even have to ask?”

“I guess not,” he laughed quietly. 

A little while later Natsu was ready to go and Kaito was seeing him to the door. 

“I know you know who your mate is,” Kaito began, and Natsu stiffened before forcing himself to relax and Kaito continued, “I don’t know why you couldn’t or wouldn’t claim him, but I hope everything works out for you both. Until that time comes, you will always be welcome here, and you will always be a friend.”

Natsu looks back at his friend, and couldn’t help feeling thankful to have found such a wonderful and understanding friend. He feels the ache of his missing mate, but he can’t regret the friend he has made or the time they spent together. Natsu catches his lips in one last kiss before heading home. 

\---

Gray has been looking for Natsu all week, and is starting to freak out a little. That flame brain probably doesn’t even know how to take care of himself when he’s sick, because he’s never been sick before, and as far as he can tell Natsu hasn’t been home all week. 

He was honestly ready to call it quits and request the help of the guild to track down that dumbass, when said dumbass walks through the doors of the guild hall like he hasn’t been missing all week. As much as he wants to go strangle the idiot, he decides to sit back and watch as Happy comes flying at high speeds into Natsu’s waiting arms. 

Upon closer observation, Natsu does look a little ill. A little flushed with barely noticeable bags under his eyes as if he hasn’t been sleeping much, but the pain he saw in his eyes the last time he saw him was absent, and that had him relaxing a little. 

Lisanna makes her way over to them with relief clear on her face as she nearly tackles Natsu, the dragon slayer just barely keeping his feet. Clearly he was more exhausted than he looked, and Gray wanted to tell Lisanna to back off before the flame brain passed out, but she was already extracting herself as she began to question him. 

“Where have you been? We stopped by your house but you weren’t home. You really shouldn’t be out and about while you’re sick you know.” Gray honestly wanted to agree with the gentle reprimand. 

“I actually stayed with a friend while I was sick.” That peaked Gray’s interest. There wasn’t anyone in the guild who mentioned Natsu staying with them, which made him wonder who this person is. Apparently, Lisanna had the same thought because she was asking questions almost immediately. 

“That’s nice! Who did you stay with? I didn’t hear anyone in the guild mentioning anything.”

“It was actually a friend who lives in another town. He’s a healer who said I could come over anytime so I figured it was the best place to be.” Something about that statement rubbed Gray wrong but he couldn’t put his finger on it. 

“Oh!” Happy lit up with recognition. “Was it the water and ice mage we met a while back while on that job? He was nice.”

“Yep, that’s the one.” Gray felt an overwhelming desire to punch something, but reined it in as he remembered how tired Natsu looked. Lisanna clearly planned on talking his ear off for the rest of the night so Gray cut in before she could get started. 

“Yo, flame brain, you look like you’re about to fall over. Shouldn’t you be at home instead of spreading your germs around here.”

As soon as Natsu made eye contact with him, the tension that had been building all week seemed to finally ease. 

“I was just about to leave snowflake. Keep your clothes on.” The teasing tone in Natsu’s voice brought him up short and he almost wanted to tell the dragon slayer to stay, but Natsu was already turning around and leaving the guild. 

Gray wasn’t sure what it was, but he had this feeling that he missed something important, and even though he didn’t know what it was, he felt upset.


End file.
